LGBTQ+ film festival lets gay community tell its own stories for everyone to hear | Opinion
The first gay film I saw was when I was still married to a woman. My wife and I went to see “Making Love” with Harry Hamlin and Michael Ontkean, an early ’80s mainstream film about a married man who meets another man and their beautiful ensuing love story.
I had never seen a movie like that before. I sat in my seat crying through much of it, because the story so resonated with me. The love they shared was something I had never seen on screen, and it was life-changing.
After my divorce, I learned about the OUTshine Film Festival and got up the courage to go. I was in awe. Everyone was so nicely dressed, the lines to get in had so much energy and pride was everywhere. It was in that minute that I knew I had found community. I got involved, joined the board, developed an award-winning LGBTQ radio show on a major FM network and a dance music show on Y-100, all of which allowed me to blossom personally, as a gay man and a proud member of our community.
For 23 years, we have produced the OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Miami and Miami Beach, and for 13 years in Fort Lauderdale. We have shown thousands of LGBTQ films to well over 100,000 members of our LGBTQ+ family. These are films that show “us” on the big screen. Some of the stories are meant to inspire; others educate, and many entertain. They are stories of love, heartbreak, coming out, acceptance — or the lack thereof. They are stories from all over the world that share our long history, allow us to feel whole and help us see that who we are is completely normal.
I remember first seeing Sidney Poitier, at a time when having a Black man on screen was groundbreaking. Poitier gave Black people someone to watch with pride at the movies. It was something they had not seen in mainstream film or on TV before. As a white man, I was captivated with the opportunity to admire a man beyond the color of his skin and for the richness of his characters and talent.
It was new and much needed for all of society, and it certainly played a role in expanding perceptions. The same could be said for all people who are pushed outside of the mainstream. Movies let such people know that we are not alone; that there are others like us. They give us a sense of pride. They educate others about us. Seeing yourself on screen is validating and life-altering.
The OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival spotlights LGBTQ films, but it’s more than that. The events over the two weeks of the festival allow us to come together through film to socialize and create community, be in a theatre with people like us — all shapes, sizes, colors and identifications — and to feel safe. The vibe in the theatre is electric and gratifying and the after-parties allow us to meet the film makers and stars, as well as local leaders who are making South Florida a wonderful place for the LGBTQ community.
Things have changed — and will continue to do so. I believe that LGBTQ film has played a significant role in that change. Our films tell our stories, and seeing them at a festival that is about us and for us, is crucial to feeling part of something so much bigger than any of us individually.
Being comfortable with your sexuality is critical to developing a strong self-worth. Being out and sharing your real life is incredibly gratifying. LGBTQ films are a wonderful medium that shares many different stories of others that have done it, and the differences in their lives when they do.
I cannot think of anything more important than feeling good about yourself and who you are. Film helped, and still helps me feel that.
Check out our 10-day OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival, opening Oct. 14 in Fort Lauderdale. If you are straight, tell someone who would benefit from knowing or go with them to see a film. All are welcome, and we all are stronger when we accept, love and appreciate each other.
Mark Gilbert is the Board Chair of the OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival, Miami and Fort Lauderdale.